Patent Application
20200138129
The present invention relates generally to protective apparel and in particular protective sleeved gloves made of a light breathable flexible fabric maintaining comfort, yet protecting the arms and hands of a wearer from for example poison ivy and insects.
Conventional gardening gloves end at the wrist or slightly higher. During use when pulling weeds and gardening, the wearer of the conventional gardening gloves is often subject to rubbing their arms against the weeds, thereby exposing the forearms and biceps to skin irritants, including but not limited to poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac, ticks, thistle, prickly cucumber vines, tomato leaves and vines. Weeding in the summer, people often are wearing sleeveless or short sleeved shirts, thereby exposing the arms to the irritants. During gardening, it is not always convenient to change into a long sleeved shirt, or it is often times too hot to change into a long sleeved shirt.
The poison ivy plant contains the oil urushiol which causes a severe blistering rash. About 85 percent of the population is allergic to poison ivy, poison sumac or poison oak, and about 10 to 15 percent are extremely allergic. This is the most common allergic reaction in the U.S., and affects as many as 50 million Americans each year. The unpleasant results to a person's health from a “brush” with poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac may last for days, weeks or months. Fortunately, taking care of poison ivy exposed laundry is simple. The same cleaning techniques are recommended for fabrics exposed to poison oak and sumac. When clothing, comes in contact with poison ivy, oak and sumac plants, the same oils that cause skin irritation remain on the surface of the fabric. The oil must be removed or it can continue to cause problems and even contaminate other surfaces for up to two years. It does not evaporate like a water-based substance, so it can stay active on things like clothes and tools; if a person comes in contact with any such item, they will be exposed to urushiol oil all over again.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,478 describes a semi-long sleeved gardening glove constructed with rib stiffeners built into the sleeve to stiffen the sleeve and prevent it from slipping down the forearm. The stiffeners have rounded ends and extend along the length of the sleeve portion about one inch below the fastening strap to about one inch from a hand portion. The glove has hand and sleeve portions that covers the forearm up to but just below the elbow. A loop pile or other fastener forms a snug fit at the top. The stiffeners have rounded ends and extend along the length of the sleeve portion about one inch below the fastening strap to about one inch from a hand portion. An anti-slip material beneath the fastener further inhibits slippage down the forearm and helps form a snug fit against the wearer's forearm.
It is desirable to provide light weight gardening gloves to protect the forearms and biceps during use.
The present invention relates to a protective sleeved glove. In one embodiment, the protective sleeved glove includes a glove with an attached loose sleeve. The sleeve can have a length to cover the wearer's forearm and bicep during an activity, such as for example gardening. A fastener band can be used with the sleeve in order to hold the sleeve in place over a bicep of the wearer. In one embodiment, the fastener band is an elastic band. The elastic band ensures a non-slip fit of the protective sleeved glove on the arm over the bicep of the wearer.
The protective sleeved glove can be made from a light, breathable fabric so that the wearer, such as a gardener does not become too hot in the summer sun. In one embodiment, the sleeved glove is formed of cotton. The protective sleeved glove can be fully machine washable. The machine washable protective sleeved gloves allow the removal of irritants, such as urushiol from the gloves, after laundering in a washing machine thereby removing the likelihood of a wearer becoming re-infected with the irritant.
In one embodiment, a protective sleeved glove is manufactured by coupling a glove to a sleeve. The glove can be stitched to the sleeve with a sewing machine. A blouson sleeve can be sewn continuously around a knit wrist of the glove for forming a one piece garment. The formed protective sleeved glove has low manufacturing costs.
In an alternate embodiment, a protective sleeved glove is manufactured by continuously knitting a glove and sleeve on a glove knitting machine. The glove is integral to the sleeve. The formed protective sleeved glove has low manufacturing costs.
The present invention provides the wearer with a one piece loose, breathable garment while protecting the wearer's skin of the hand and the arm past the bicep from insects, soil and foliage irritants, ticks, and the oil urushiol from the poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac plants.
Accordingly, a principle object of the present invention is to provide protective apparel that affords a comfortable, breathable level of safety and comfort to the forearms and biceps of the wearer while gardening.
Another object of the invention is to provide protective apparel made of a cotton or cotton blend material making the sleeved gloves fully machine washable.
Another object of the invention is to provide a protective glove with attached sleeve, which is a convenience to the wearer, because the wearer can protect arms without having to put on a long sleeved shirt.
Another, more particular object of the invention is to provide protective apparel made of a light, breathable cotton or cotton blend material protecting the wearer's biceps and forearms from direct skin contact with urushiol from the poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac plant.
The invention will be more fully described by reference to the following drawings.
In view of these and other objects which will become more readily apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed with reference being made to the attached drawings in which:
Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
Fastener band 16 can be positioned at end 17 of sleeve 14. Fastener band 16 can be formed of an elastic material. Fastener band 16 can be sewn to end 17 of sleeve 14. Sleeve 14 can be coupled to glove 12 at coupling portion 19.
Sleeve 14 can have a blouson, balloon or puffed shape. Sleeve 14 can have a forearm diameter D1 which is larger than diameter D2 of forearm 22 of a wearer. Sleeve 14 can include a bicep diameter D4 which is larger than diameter D3 of bicep 24 of a wearer. Middle Diameter D5 is positioned between forearm diameter D1 and bicep diameter D4. Middle Diameter D5 can be larger than forearm diameter D1 and bicep diameter D4.
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In one embodiment, glove 12 can be formed of a cotton fabric or cotton blend fabric. In one embodiment, glove 12 is formed of a single cotton knit fabric. Wrist band 18 can be formed of a cotton fabric. In one embodiment, wrist band 18 is formed of an interlocked knit fabric. Sleeve 14 can be formed of a light weight cotton fabric. For cooler weather use, glove 12 and/or sleeve 14 can be made from a heavier weight machine washable cotton, cotton blend, poly blend or fleece fabric. Alternatively, glove 12, wrist band 18 and sleeve 14 can be formed of one or more of cotton and synthetic fabrics. Suitable fabrics for protective sleeved glove 10 include one or more of cotton, polyester, nylon and rayon and blends of one or more of cotton, polyester, nylon and rayon. Protective sleeved glove 10 is formed of a machine washable fabric.
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Sleeve 14 can include pocket 110. Pocket 110 includes opening 112 for receiving objects, such as for example gardening articles.
It is to be understood that the above described embodiments are illustrative of only a few of the many possible specific embodiments, which can represent applications of the principles of the invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised in accordance with these principles by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
